"That’s why you’re undervalued"- Michael Johnson gives verdict on Noah Lyles over Grand Slam Track debate

Three-time Olympic medalist, Noah Lyles, was not a member of the elite squad participating in the 2025 inaugural season of the Grand Slam Track. The founder of GST, Michael Johnson, has recently shared his thoughts on the reason Lyles did not join the league and further reflected on the systemic issues within track and field.

Michael Johnson is a former track and field icon who won numerous accolades throughout his distinguished career. He is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and and eight-time World Championships gold medalist. Noah Lyles declined to join the Grand Slam Track, which Johnson founded with billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.

The Slam's inaugural season included three meets, and the fourth was cancelled for various reasons. During his short interview with James Emmett of Sports Business Journal at the 2025 Sport Beach at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Johnson shared his thoughts on the seven-time World Championship medalist, Lyles. He said [5:23 onwards]:

"Noah [Lyles] does a lot of talking about grand slam track. So let's just address Noah's problem is according to him, 'I'm the fastest man in the world.' if your position is if you got to keep trying to explain to people that you're the fastest man in the world because of something that you did last year, we are the answer to your problem because you have to continue to prove to people that you're the best."

He continued [6:02 onwards]:

"The problem with track has always been that if you rely on one big event every four years to prove that you're the best, you're going to have a problem and that's why you're undervalued. That's why Noah has the problem that he has. He's saying 'Hey, I want my own shoe why don't I have my own shoe?' Because you can't show value because you're in an event that only takes place every four years."

Apart from his Olympic and World Championship feats, Noah Lyles has three medals from the World Athletics Relays.

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Noah Lyles to defend his title at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships

Noah Lyles at the TRACK & FIELD: FEB 02 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Elite sprinter, Noah Lyles, opened his 2025 season in January at the RADD invitational in Florida. He competed in the 60m race event and clinched the top position with 6.62 seconds.

At the 2025 Tom Jones Memorial, Lyles took part in the 400m race event and finished fifth with 45.87 seconds. The prominent sprinter will next participate in the 100m at the 2025 London Diamond League and will be looking forward to defend his title at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, which will be held from September 13 to 21, 2025.

At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Noah Lyles captured three gold medals.

Edited by Luke Koshi